Page 182 - Hunter - The Vigil

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The servitor has a rudimentary intelligence that allows exactly as though she had passed the degeneration roll. Spiri-
it to follow moderately complicated instructions. Although it tual contact with such base thoughts destroys the Ringsel,
cannot communicate per se, it is capable of recognizing any turning it a foul bluish-black and cracking it in two.
person, place or thing its activator recognizes on sight, and it
can “report” anything it sees by means of a similar quasi-visual Watchful Keris (•••)
link. The servitor has no real combat abilities to speak of, but it According to the occult lore of Indonesia and much of
can slip poison into a drink or cut a car’s brake line if provided Southeast Asia, the keris dagger, also called the keris, is as
with the proper tools. The Icarine Servitor is especially vul- much a living entity as a weapon. Each individual blade is

nerable to fire, and any source of flame, no matter how small, reputed to have a soul for good or for ill, and stories abound
inflicts aggravated damage. A servitor destroyed by fi re melts of weapons leaping from their sheaths to slay hidden enemies

into a puddle of useless waxy goo and a tangle of twigs and of their owners, or to turn on their own dishonorable masters.
strings; it cannot be animated again. If a servitor is destroyed by The Watchful Keris, while not belonging to the same class
a more mundane source of damage, such as being chopped up as the famed Taming Sari keris, which made its wielder inde-
or crushed, it can be repaired with ten successes on an extended structible, is nonetheless a useful tool.
Dexterity + Craft roll. Each roll represents 15 minutes. The weapon itself is a wavy-bladed knife, about a foot
An Icarine Servitor remains active until the next dawn or long, with inlaid gold and jade depictions of a watchful serpent

sunset, whichever comes first. Unless given explicit instructions on the blade. The curved, pistol-style grip and the weapon’s
otherwise, the servitor will try to return to its owner before the sheath are both carved from the fossilized tooth of a mam-
duration expires. The servitor’s owner may spend one Willpower moth, cut to reveal the dentine patterns within the tooth.

point as a reflexive action to extend the servitor’s animation un- The grip is worn smooth from long use, but rests comfort-
til the following dawn or sunset, but doing so causes the crea- ably in the hand, almost as though it is eager to be used. The

ture’s behavior to become increasingly erratic. One Aegis Kai owner of a Watchful Keris often finds himself resting a hand
Doru hunter, thinking to use the servitor as a round-the-clock on the weapon or absently stroking the sheath. Occasionally
bodyguard, kept it active for a week straight. On the seventh the knife seems to shudder, almost in anticipation.
night, he died — “gas leak,” the authorities called it. Benefi t: The Watchful Keris is a 2(L) knife. As long as
its owner wears it, he receives a +1 bonus on his Initiative
Ringsel (•••) Trait. In addition, whenever the owner is surprised in combat
When a truly enlightened Buddhist master dies and the (see The World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 151), he takes an
body is cremated, small, pearl-like stones are sometimes found action in the first turn of combat, even if he failed his Wits

among the ashes. Tibetan Buddhism considers these Ringsel to + Composure roll to avoid being surprised. This action must
be the physical embodiment of the master’s wisdom, knowledge be an attack with the Watchful Keris. The hunter may move
and enlightenment. Most are placed in shrines, where pilgrims up to his Speed before making this attack. If the weapon was

can visit them and venerate the memories of the masters who left sheathed, he finds it inexplicably in his hand, as though it
them behind, but the Aegis Kai Doru have “acquired” a number leapt there of its own accord. If, for some reason, the charac-
of these sacred relics. Ringsel are said to have mystical properties, ter does not wish to attack with the Watchful Keris (perhaps
granting peace and wisdom to those who behold them, and even he doesn’t want to immediately escalate to violence, or he is
healing injuries when touched. The occultists of the Aegis Kai surprised by the presence of an innocent civilian at the scene
Doru are more interested in these mystical abilities than in the of a monster attack), he must make a Wits + Composure roll

spiritual significance of Ringsel, and have been known to steal or spend a Willpower point. If he restrains his urge to strike,

Ringsel left after prominent masters pass on. he does not get the benefit of acting in the first turn after
Cost: 1 Willpower. being surprised. (Note that being surprised still negates the
Benefi t: By meditating over a Ringsel, a character may application of the character’s Defense for that initial turn, re-
draw upon her inner reserves of strength to heal her body. gardless of how swiftly the Keris springs to hand.)
Entering a meditative state requires four successes on a Wits
+ Composure roll, as described on page 51 of The World Heart of Stone (••••)
of Darkness Rulebook. Once the character has achieved This lumpy, glassy rock is about the size of a large man’s fi st.
this meditative state, she may spend Willpower to heal her By itself, it’s harmless and completely inert — just an oddly shaped
wounds: one Willpower point heals one point of bashing paperweight. The Heart’s true nature only becomes apparent when
damage, while two Willpower points heals a point of lethal it’s hooked up to a sizable source of electricity, like a car battery or
damage. As usual, the character may only spend one Will- the electrical wiring in a house. Once you get enough current run-
power per turn. While there is no limit to how much healing ning over it, it revivifi es into a living, beating heart. It takes a few
a character can receive from a Ringsel (with the exception of days to really go to work, but once it does, it can make the victim’s
how many Willpower points she has), she may only use this life a living hell. First, people just start to want the thing the heart’s
healing gift once per day. hooked up to. A man’s BMW gets more admiring glances as he

In addition, if the owner of a Ringsel suffers a degenera- rolls down the street, the realtor finds there aren’t enough hours
tion of her Morality, she may spend a point of Willpower to in the day to schedule viewings of that new house on the market.
have the Ringsel absorb the sin and negate the degeneration, After a while, though, things start to get rough. People still look
longingly at the car, or the house, or whatever, but it’s tinged with
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